A collection of newsworthy information as reported from newspapers, magazines, and blogs.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Republican's "Pledge to America"

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The Republican's “Pledge to America” budget would mean $11.1 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years. By 2020, the budget deficit would be about $200 billion larger than under President Obama's budget.Read more.

It sure sounds like the GOP wants to get things done, though. One should bear in mind, however, the various pieces of legislation they've managed to block while in the minority. You have to ask yourself how committed Republicans are to the "deepest beliefs of the American people" after they killed or tried to kill:

•Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill: a bill to allow women who are raped while working overseas to have their case heard in an American court. Every Republican male in the Senate voted against it, but it managed to pass.

•Benefits for homeless veterans and homeless veterans with children: successfully blocked by the GOP.

•Health care for 9/11 first responders: successfully blocked by the GOP.

•A Jobs bill that gives tax breaks to companies that hire new employees: successfully blocked by the GOP.

•Stricter regulations for financial institutions to keep them from destroying the economy again: Republicans attempted to block this but failed.

•The stimulus package: Republicans went wild and wooly trying to block this, then turned around and took credit for the multiple aspects of the bill that worked.

•Oil spill liability to make oil companies pay more to clean up after a spill: successfully blocked by the GOP.

•Unemployment benefits extension for millions of unemployed people who are trying to hold on: blocked by the GOP for weeks before it finally passed.

•The Fair Pay Act, a.k.a. The Lilly Ledbetter bill, to ensure women are paid the same wages as men: the GOP tried to block it.